As the golden light waned, the mist was obliterated, revealing the vast Starry Sky above.
The canvas of white specks shed light upon the world; once again, starlight pervaded the once-shrouded lands and unveiled the mountain within.
The gentle starlight embraced Dawn upon the mountain's peak.
The all-encompassing veil of mist has now broken, unfortunately, those two demonic figures still stood high in the sky above.
Their bodies were slightly charred.
However, the damage they suffered wasn't significant.
On the other hand, the Immortal, Defiance, had lost his life.
"The Immortal collapsed willingly. Undeniably, to avoid his defeat at our hands."
The fiery demonic figure analysed, slowly recovering from Defiance's final act.
"Star Gazing Settlement has fallen; its Settlement Lord, Immortal Defiance, too, fell with it..."
Dropping its gaze, the fiery demonic figure looked at the exposed world below,
"There are still mortals alive down there, a few dozen... Your mist has scattered and the mountain bare, that Immortal's final attack left your Grotto severely damaged, will your injuries prove too much to bear?
"So what of the damage done? The remaining mist is far more than enough, and will repair in due time... hmm?"
The misty demonic figure mocked, but threw its head around at the approaching and intensifying pressure.
...
Dawn looked up at the scene above.
Her father left a few words to her before his voice faded away, and the light of his detonation waned completely.
The stars were finally revealed once again, and the world was lit up faintly.
She couldn't tell exactly how long the mist had swallowed them, but the stars were shining brightly, a sign of Early Hour.
Regardless of the time, she could see what remained in the sky above.
A small, flickering speck of red, and a greyish-blue speck waving in the wind.
She looked up plainly, but conflicting emotions rose in her heart.
Anger. Sorrow. Fear.
The two demonic figures remained; she did not know who they were, but they killed her father, an Immortal.
No matter how injured they appeared, their strength alone surpassed what Dawn could handle.
Assuming the mist was an example of their power, it further demoralised Dawn.
Her spear felt heavy in her hand, but she held onto it tightly, her gaze never leaving the sky.
It was then that the air suddenly felt heavier, and a thunderous voice boomed across the world.
"How dare you, Demons! You will pay for your transgressions with your demise!"
A woman surged forward with a tremendous aura, exerting pressure as heavy as a mountain.
She pushed her hands forward as a massive, translucent white wall appeared and crashed into the two Demons.
Neither of them could retaliate and were pushed back as a result.
Strong whirlwinds kicked up, and it slammed into a mountain with great force, shattering the slope and shaking the lands.
Dawn had lost her balance at the sudden and intense quake, falling to a knee as she used her spear to support herself.
Looking up at the sky again, she saw the Immortal woman standing still in the sky.
It wasn't just her, but her hair and robes didn't move, no matter how terrible the winds.
...
'Defiance...'
The Woman looked down with a solemn expression. She had witnessed Immortal Defiance's fate from afar.
She watched the large dome of mist bubble and rupture with light, bursting forth and clearing the skies.
An intense white aura surged within her, gathering into her hands like a storm of white arcs.
She faced her palm to the shattered mountain far ahead of her.
The white wall cracked with a loud sound before shattering into countless shards, its solid form turned into white whirls of wind, eventually dissipating into nothing.
"This is... Immortal Adamant from the Great River Settlement. I never expected her to show up so quickly..."
The misty demonic figure flew up from the ruined mountain and was shot into the distance.
"What-!"
The misty demonic figure managed to catch itself in the air, then was knocked back again before it could steady itself.
Immortal Adamant merely had her hand raised. Light would flash from her palm, piercing the air with a whistle.
Another ray of light was shot, but was intercepted by the fiery demonic figure, deflecting it with a bat of its wrist.
"You dare to mess with us, Adamant!"
The fiery demonic figure raised its fists and punched the air, distorting the air and sending countless impacts her way.
Adamant reacted as a flurry of strikes approached her; the small ball of light enlarged into a massive white wall.
Thunderous booms resounded as those strikes collided with the wall.
"Surge!"
The fiery demonic figure roared, emanating a terrifying scarlet aura, pushing its open palms forward.
The air darkened and began to flow intensely; it surged like a black river in the air and charged into the white wall.
The waves of black air smashed into its pale surface, scattering like ash in the wind.
Adamant let out a stifled groan as she held her place, resisting the intense pressure of this seemingly endless black river.
"Arrogant woman! I will tear your head from your shoulders!"
The misty demonic figure's voice roared from the eastern horizon, yet his presence was felt from the northern direction.
At the same time, an intense pressure hit Adamant from above and knocked her from the sky.
...
Sun and Selene were desperately running through a forest, beads of sweat constantly dripping down their face.
They gasped for air in heavy breaths.
They had no idea what was going on; they were travelling through the mist until a blinding light shook the world, and the sky revealed itself.
Then, just as suddenly as the world went still, it began to furiously shake again.
Sun and Selene looked up once and saw a massive white mass flying across the sky, eventually crashing down and shaking the land.
They never looked up again and began running.
They could feel that the intensity was far beyond what they could handle.
Clinging on to the slight chance that they might survive, they fled, hoping to go unnoticed and escape the disaster unimplicated.
Unfortunately, the lands suddenly shook as something collided with the ground, knocking them both over.
However, as they came to their senses, their vision was filled with the dark blue fabric of a robe.
Then, the world shifted.
...
Dawn couldn't take her eyes off the sky, nor could she move from the mountain's peak.
The intense battle radiated such a heavy pressure that it choked her from afar.
Intense winds were kicked up as a result of the battle, sending Dawn's hair and robes in a chaotic dance.
White lights flashed and black tides surged, mist swirled like a hurricane, while flames began to light the sky.
It was a terrifying display of power.
Despite being choked and pushed down by the intense pressure, Dawn never looked away.
The thought of her friends, which had stuck in the back of her mind, had slowly faded to nought.
Everything felt numb, save the awe she felt from watching the ensuing fight.
"Are you enjoying the battle?"
Dawn whipped her head around to see an old, sagely man standing behind her, his blue robes not wavering in the intense winds.
"Normally, people would be fleeing at the sight of such a fierce battle, yet here you stand despite it all. It is truly peculiar."
The old sage carried a dried voice, his grey hair like hay that tied into a high bun, his beard twisted to his chest.
This person was unfamiliar to her, yet his presence felt very comforting.
"You must for Defiance's daughter, yes?"
Surprise fell on Dawn's face.
When she tried to raise a question, the pressure pushed down on her lungs, the old sage waved a hand,
"You don't need to speak, I can tell with just a glance... You have his demeanour."
"I, Immortal Union, am here to receive you. I have already retrieved the rest of the other survivors."
Dawn suddenly remembered about her friends and her people, relief washed over her as she found out that they were safe.
Suddenly, her body shook. Dawn had no time to turn around as thunder boomed behind her.
Blood trickled out of her seven orifices as the world spun around her.
As she fell, Dawn barely caught a hint of a figure being knocked away.
Immortal Union held her, she could only see his lips moving.
Then, her body began to shine a light blue, Dawn sent her gaze to the sky above, once again.
Her eyelids felt heavy, she tried to keep conscious until her mind started to drift.
The world faded to black; Dawn had fallen unconscious.
...